ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES

Coordinator: José Saldanha Matos

This group is composed of of 28 researchers (14 integrated PhD, 9 PhD collaborators, 5 PhD students) collaborators covering a broad range of topics, which include different fundamental environments, water resources, and cross-cutting related issues, such as:

Environment and Water Resources Research Group is active in the following domains of environment and water resources:

1. Water policy and governance
2. Hydrology and water resources management
3. Hydrogeology and groundwater services
4. Water supply and sanitation systems and services
5. Environmental assessment and management

Through all thematic strands of CERIS, Environment and Water Resources Research Group plans to:

• Promote adequate water resources management through policy formulation and governance
• Promote integrated water resources management, including the development of advanced knowledge on hydrologic processes modelling
• Promote efficient water services and pollution control
• Develop groundwater assessment tools and modelling
• Promote the sustainable management of natural and built environments

Environment and Water Resources Research Group has made a considerable impact on specific topics such as:

1. Water policy and governance

• • Principles, criteria and indicators for water governance

2. Hydrology and water resources management

• • Characterization of the various components of the hydrologic cycle and its dynamics
  • Monitoring and modelling hydrologic variables and processes, including the characterization of hydrologic extreme events
  • Assessment of climate change impacts on water resources and formulation of adaptation and mitigation strategies

3. Water supply and sanitation systems and services

• • Aquifer monitoring testing and assessment of groundwater pollution
  • Ecosystems in groundwater
  • Numerical and stochastic groundwater modelling
  • Geophysics and SSD applied to hydrogeology and groundwater management

4. Water supply and sanitation systems and services

• • Development of sanitation strategies and solutions for peri-urban areas of low-income countries
  • Sewer systems and processes modelling
  • Field studies and modelling of wastewater treatment plants, including constructed wetlands
  • Strategic planning of water infrastructures and services
  • Study of nature-based solutions for flood control in urban and coastal areas

5. Environmental assessment and management

• • Sustainability assessment solutions, systems and certification
  • Environmental policy formulation to ensure sustainable development